A Twist In The Tail
by RainbowTiger178
Summary: When Zane broke the cage in the season 1 finale, what would happen if Rikki and Emma escaped, but Cleo was still captured? Read & find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. Again. This is my new H2O story "A Twist in the Tail". Summary: When Zane and Lewis broke Dr. Denman's cage, what would happen if Rikki and Emma escaped, but Cleo was still captured? Read to find out!**

Chapter 1: Captured Again

Prolouge…

The cage broke. Mission success! The girls could escape. Rikki and Emma swam out. Cleo was the last to swim away, but suddenly, she was stopped. A diver put up the cage again, and Cleo couldn't stop him. She struggled to get free, but he shoved her into a rock, leaving a bleeding scratch. Cleo swam up to the moon pool for air.

Dr Denman smirked. "At least one was left behind"

Cleo's p.o.v.

I was captured (again). I couldn't believe Emma and Rikki left me. They didn't care about me. All they cared about was our stupid secret.

"Well, Cleo, looks like you're going to have to get out of that water now." said Dr. Denman. "To be honest, I'm actually not so sure how" I said back hoping she'd believe it. But Dr. Denman just rolled her eyes. "Don't even try, Cleo. I won"

I swam to the side of the moon pool. It took a lot of time to get out. The rocks were scraping my tail. And it felt like someone was yanking me down there. I was carrying a 40 lb. tail on my legs. Well, maybe it wasn't _so _heavy, but still!

When I finally got out of the water, Dr. Denman and some other men came over with towels. They began to dry me off. My first instinct was to just run out of the cave when I was dry. But Dr. Denman had an army, practically. After a while my legs came back. It was like the men read my mind, because they grabbed my arms and walked with me out of the cave.

1 hour later…

We were on the beach, waiting for something. Soon a boat rode by onto the beach. A man stepped out. I knew who it was: Mr. Bennett, Zane's father. He immediatly looked confused.

"Weren't there three?" he asked.

"Two got away" said Dr. Denman.

"one will still work"

"Cleo, before we leave, you shouldn't be coming here anymore. While you are away, Mako Island will become a national park"

My eyes widened. "What? You can't do that!" I yelled. I struggled to get free from the men, but they were to strong. "It's our private place! You can't just take over it! It means everything to me. Please!"

"Sorry, Cleo. You need to leave now"  
"To where?"

"The Marine Science Professionals Lab in Florida. That's in America"

"No! I'm not going halfway around the world just because you want me to!"

"Cleo, no more arguing. Get her on, boys"

The men shoved me onto the boat and locked me into a partly small and partly large room. The door clicked behind me. I was locked in. I knew I had no way of getting out, but I still kicked and punched and pushed on the door. I finally ran out of energy and lay on the carpet. I had never felt so kidnapped in my life.

**To be continued in chapter 2…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm sorry for the wait for the next chapter but here we go: (BTW it is always Cleo's p.o.v.)**

I woke up on a bed. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had gotten out of the cage, I was safe, and no one knew I was a mer-

Hang on: where am I?  
I realized that the events were real. Oh, no. I looked out the window. There was a big building with a sign that said "Marine Biological Labratory".

This was bad. In a few hours, i could end up dissected! Suddenly I heard my phone ring. Yes! I could call for help.

"Hello?" I said as I answered it.

"Cleo? Where are you?" It was Dad! What was I supposed to say.

"Uh, hi, Dad. I was-"  
"Cleo, why didn't you come home? I've been worried sick!"  
"Dad, I have something to tell you." It was time he knew.

"What is it, Cleo?"  
"Dad, I'm a-" Suddenly, a man walked in and snatched up my phone.

"Give it back!" I yelled. I tried to snatch it from him, but he shoved me on the floor. If that wasn't bad enough, the poured water on top of my head, and within seconds, I fell down with a big orange tail.

The man used my phone to take a picture of me as a mermaid.

"Cleo? Are you there?" Dad said through the phone.

"Dad, I'm a mermaid!" I shouted. I was pretty sure he heard me, because he hung up.

What have I done? The man finally handed me my phone back and a towel. I dried off pretty quick.

I went through my mailboxes. I had gotten a text from Rikki: _where r u_

But, under my Sent messages, I realized that the man had sent the photo of me as a mermaid to Dad. _Oh, no.  
_This was the worst day ever.

I had never felt so exposed in my life.

My phone started ringing again. It was Rikki. I ignored it. They abandoned me: why should I care?

But I could hear Dr. Denman shouting at someone through the door.  
"You let her keep her phone?! You idiot! Do you realize what she could do now?"

"But-"  
"no buts. Get in there, get the phone, and then I will tell you you're FIRED!"  
The same man came in and took my phone. This time, he threw it to the ground, and smashed it to pieces.

"Hey!" I shouted. I shoved him onto the floor. But Dr. Denman and another man grabbed me by the arms.

"Let go of me! You can't keep me here!" I shouted. I tried to get free, but it was no use. They dragged me all the way to the lab or whatever.

When we walked through the doors, I tried to get free. I almost did: but my head smacked into the door.

"Ow!" I whined. I looked at Dr. Denman. Then she started to fade away…the room became dark…


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long!**

I woke up seeing a bright light.

Am I dead?  
I looked around. I was in some science room. There were test tubes, papers, a computer, and I was sitting on one of those paper beds you'd see in a doctor's office.

I tried to walk out because the door was open, but my hands and feet were tied up. Then Dr. Denman walked in and smiled.

"Good. You're awake" she said.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"The door knocked you unconcious. We had to carry you in here for safety."  
"You call tying me up in a science lab 'safety'?"

"Cleo, when you put it like that, it sounds so bad."

"What do you want from me?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out"  
"I'm not doing anything until I know what you're up to"  
"If you must know, Mr. Bennett and I were working on a project that envolved you and the others. But since Rikki and Emma escaped, we had no choice but to use you"  
"For what?!"

"Oh, just some tests and a part-time job at the aquarium"  
"There's no way I'm going to be some freak show just because you want me to!"  
"Well you can either do it the easy way or the hard way"

"No. N-o."  
But Dr. Denman got a cup of water and poured it onto my head. Lying on the bed with a big fat tail, more men came through.

_You've got to be kidding me!_

One of them got a needle and stabbed it into my scales.

"OUCH!" I screamed.

"I told you- the easy or hard way" said Dr. Denman.

I was so afraid so I just decided to keep quiet, though on the inside, I felt like someone was ripping off my tail.

Finally the man stopped poking me.

"Please don't hurt me!" I said. I didn't want them to hurt me.

"Cleo, if you go along with anything we say, we'll send you back home in a little while"

"How long?"

"At least a week. If you keep it up with those back-talks, it'll be at least two months"

Two months! I couldn't keep this up for two months!

"Okay. I'll go along with anything you say. But please don't hurt me!"

"Alright, Cleo."

She handed me a towel and untied my arms. Before long my legs came back.

"What now?" I asked.

"Come with me."  
Dr. Denman untied my legs and I walked with her. I didn't know what to expect. And I didn't know if I should trust her…

**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4**

**Coming up in Chapt. 4…**

**What does Dr. Denman have planned for Cleo?  
Can she trust her?**

**How long will it be before Cleo gets home?**


	4. Chapter 4

I walked down a hallway with Dr. Denman. Hanging from the ceiling was a whale skeleton. I gulped.

Soon we came to a room with a double-sized bed, a chair, and a dresser. That was it.

"Cleo, this will be your room" Said Dr. Denman.

"For what?" I asked.

"Well, think of this as your hotel room"

"Um…okay?"

If this was a hotel room, wasn't a good one.

I looked inside the dresser. Inside were some clothing.

"We figured we'd be a good service" said Dr. Denman.

"Thank you" I said quietly. Even though I might end up dissected, that wasn't an excuse not to be polite.

Dr. Denman looked at her watch. "It's almost 6:00. We'll get you some dinner soon"

Wow. This really was like a hotel. Maybe a hospital. Or a nursing home…

"Until then, we just have one more test for you, Cleo"  
"What?" I asked.

"Just a simple scale removal-"  
"What? No way! I'm not-"  
"Not all of your scales! Just one or two! And that'll be it"

"I guess. But no more than two scales."  
"Deal."

5 minutes later (in another science room)…

I was lying on the floor with my tail. I held my breath as Dr. Denman walked towards me with pliers.

"Ready?" she said. I nodded slowly. I shut my eyes. I tried not to yelp as she gently pulled off my scales. It was like yanking a band-aid off of your legs really fast.

In just a few seconds, it was over. I looked at my tail. A few small places were starting to bleed. A man wiped off the blood.

Dr. Demnan dried me off and I was human again.

I yawned. "We'll get you dinner soon Cleo" she said.

I walked back to my room and laid on the bed. After ten minutes yet another man came in with a tray of spagetti. It wasn't one of those fancy _Lady and the Tramp _plates, but it was better than starving.

After not so much time, I had eaten all of the food. I didn't realize I was so tired until now. I had a full day of fighting men, being unconcious, and painful tests.

Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so bad…

Next day…

I woke up and some worries floated towards me.

_What if I'm dissected?_

_What if Dr. Denman is trying to turn me into sushi?_

_What if-_

"Good morning, Cleo" Dr. Denman walked in and greeted me.

"hi" I said.

I noticed she was carrying a tray with a bowl of cereal.

"Breakfast is served"

"thanks"  
When I finished the Cheerios, Dr. Denman walked in again.

"We've got a few more tests today and then we're off"  
"To where?"  
"Just an aquarium not far from here"

"Okay…I guess?"

"Come with me"  
I got up and followed her. We got into yet ANOTHER science room.

There was a cup of water on the table and a man with a camera.

"Show us your power, Cleo" Said the man.

Part of me wanted to just say no and run for my life, but I remembered the deal with Dr. Denman. In order to prevent myself from being dissected, I put out my hand and the water rose up. The man took a few pictures. When I knew he was finished. I put the water back.

_Now what? _I thought.


	5. Chapter 5

"Cleo, don't get too comfortable" said Dr. Demnan. I was sitting in my room.

"Why not?" I asked.

"We're heading off today! Just a bus ride or two to the Worldwide American Aquarium"

"But, you said you wouldn't go too far!"

"I said it and I meant it. They only want you to do a stunt mermaid show. You could tell everyone it's a costume"

"I guess so…"

"Are you ready or not? We need to leave in 20 minutes"

"Okay, okay."

At bus stop…

Dr. Denman walked me up to the bus. I was pretty nervous.

_What if the people don't believe that my tail's a costume?_

_What if I actually end up at the circus-or worse?_

"Come on, Cleo" Said Dr. Denman. She walked me up like I was a lost 7 year-old kid.

Of course, I had to sit next to her. We had a deal, but I could see she didn't 100% believe I wouldn't run away.

"How long is the bus ride?" I asked.

"About a half an hour"

"Okay"

I yawned. I was still pretty tired from last night. I just didn't get why. Soon I fell asleep on the window. My eyes were getting heavier and heavier…

Later…

I woke up. My head hurt from leaning on the window.

"Cleo we're here" Dr. Denman told me.

We piled off the bus with other people. I could tell a few people had gotten off earlier.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Well, as I said, we must go into the aquarium."  
I walked with her into an aquarium. Tall buildings were around us. I had to admit, America _was _kind of pretty, and it's not every day someone from the Gold Coast gets to see it.

My hands were shaking as we entered the large building with a sign that said "Worldwide American Aquarium". I tried to be calm. Soon it would all be over, I could go home, and pretend this didn't ever happen.

We approached a large staircase. Dr. Denman and I walked up and came to a large tank with fish in it. I suppose it was one of the tanks for people to see. There was a man with a name tag that said "Dr. Cork".

"Linda, how nice to see you!" he said and shook Dr. Denman's hand.

"Are you Cleo Sertori?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Wonderful. Now, Cleo, this will be very simple. All you need to do is dive into this tank, show people your mermaid form, how fast you can swim, and remember- always smile"

I wanted to run for my life, but I didn't have a choice. Dr. Cork grabbed a microphone.

His voice boomed all over the speakers.

**"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is time for the moment you've all been waiting for!"  
**All the tourists applauded.

**"Traveling all the way from the Gold Coast, in Australia, please meet Cleo, the Aussie Mermaid!"**

I gulped and dove into the water. Soon the transformation occured. Camera flashes made it almost impossible for me to see. But as Dr. Cork instructed, I torpedoed through the tank, trying not to crash into anything.

All the people clapped and clapped. I was hoping Dr. Cork would say it was just a costume, but after almost 100 people seeing the transformation, there was just no way.

I felt like I was being used. Maybe this wasn't the right thing to do after all…


	6. Chapter 6

After what seemed like forever but was really only about 30 minutes, most of the people finally left. A few little girls got a picture with me. When everyone left, I swam back up to the top to get a breath.

"That was amazing, Cleo!" Dr. Cork said.

"You were wonderful out there! Good news-we're going back tot the Gold Coast!" Dr. Denman said.

"Really? Yay!" I said. I smiled for the first time in almost a week. It was such a relief that I could go back to the Gold Coast and pretend this didn't ever happen.

When I had gotten out of the tank and dried off, Dr. Denman took me out of the aquarium and to a bay not that far away. There was a boat waiting for us.

But then dr. Denman looked at her phone.

"Bad news, Cleo. We're not going home"

"What?! Why?!"

"A teacher at a local American elementery school wants you to come and talk about you being a mermaid."

"Do I need to?"

"Yes, Cleo. We had a deal-"

"No! I'm not going. I know we had a deal, but this time it's gone too far."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I've had enough. Deal's off."  
Without even listening to another word she said, I dove off into the waves and began torpedoing home. I knew it would take a long time, but I didn't care.

I couldn't believe I had gotten myself tangled into this mess. Rikki was right- I needed to start being firm.

Soon, I'd come out with a new Cleo; not the Cleo Sertori who everyone walked all over. A Cleo who would not do what everyone wanted her to do.

Soon, that new Cleo would be here: bigger and stronger than ever before.

**THE END**

**I apologize that this chapter is pretty short, but I actually didn't plan to make this like an Exposed story. But I hope you enjoyed!  
Review!**

:):):):):):):):)


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